Newly-elected Bhopal MP Pragya Singh Thakur on Monday failed to get exemption from appearance in a special court this week in the 2008 Malegaon blast case in which she is an accused.
Pragya Thakur defeated Congress' Digvijay Singh by about 3 lakh votes in Bhopal.
Sadhvi Pragya receives grand welcome at BJP office in Bhopal
Counting of votes has begun in the Bhopal constituency of Madhya Pradesh. Early trends show Pragya Thakur of the BJP to be in the lead.
Sadhvi Pragya offers prayer at Bhawani Mandir in Bhopal amid ban by EC
After Azam Khan, the EC has barred Sadhvi Pragya from campaigning for 72 hours starting 6 am Thursday. Meanwhile, after campaigning in various parts of Amethi, Priyanka Gandhi spent time travelling across Rae Bareli seeking support for Sonia Gandhi, on Thursday. Stay tuned here for all the political updates from today.
The two saffron leaders met on Sunday while campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls.
The 2008 Malegaon's mosque bomb blast accused, Sadhvi Pragya is on bail. She joined the BJP on April 7. The party has decided to field her from Bhopal for these general elections.
"A Hindu can never be a terrorist. They have fabricated false cases to frame her. It was a conspiracy for vote bank politics," Amit Shah said, while addressing a rally at Rajnagar in Chhatarpur district, on Tuesday.
Addressing BJP workers in Bhopal, Thakur had claimed that Karkare died during the attacks as she "cursed" him for torturing her.
The polling will take place on May 12.
Claiming that the "real culprits" were let off after being arrested, Shah said questions should be asked why they were released.
This came after Sadhvi Pragya, in an exclusive interview with AajTak, said, "Why would we regret the demolition of the Babri Masjid? We are, in fact, ‘proud’ of it. There were some waste products of the Ram temple and we removed it. This has awakened the self-respect of our country and we will construct a grand Ram temple."
"We do not regret but are proud of demolishing the Babri Masjid. We removed the waste from our Lord Ram's temple," she said in a TV interview.
The Commission served the notice even after she had withdrawn the remarks and asked why action should not be taken against her for breach of the election code. Thakur has been given 24 hours to respond.
Thakur is out on bail in the 2008 blast case and she is under fire for claiming that IPS officer Hemant Karkare was killed during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack as she had "cursed" him for "torturing" her.
"Samjhauta Express verdict came. What came out? Without any evidence, a rich civilisation as old as 5000 years, which gave the message of 'the whole world is one'... You called such a civilisation terrorist? To give a befitting reply to all such people, this (fielding of Pragya Thakur) is a symbol and this symbol will cost the Congress dearly," PM Modi said.
She said she had cursed him for treating her "very badly" while she was in custody in the Malegaon blast case.
According to media reports, Thakur said former Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad chief Hemant Karkare, who died in action during the Mumbai terror attacks, had falsely implicated her in the Malegaon blast case and hence, died because "of his karma."
Out on bail, Sadhvi Pragya has been discharged by a court on charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the 2008 case, but is still facing trial under other criminal provisions, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
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